Lid for a soft pack dispensing container of wipes

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a soft pack dispensing container for wipes featuring an aperture built into the lid of the rigid flip top. A soft pack dispensing container for wipes ( 1 ) is sealed at two ends  2 A,  2 B, has a rigid flip top assembly which has an openable, integral lid ( 5 ) which can be closed over the mouth ( 6 ) of the soft pack dispensing container ( 1 ). An aperture ( 8 ) built into the lid ( 5 ) of the soft pack dispensing container ( 1 ) is such that it does not allow the user to access and grip the first wipe with the fingers alone.

The present invention relates to a closure device for a soft pack dispensing container for wipes featuring a lid with an integral aperture.

Wipes are generally sold in two types of dispensing container;

1) Hard plastic tubs with removable lids which feature a narrow outlet aperture from which the wipes are dispensed. The tub is then sealed with a cap which covers the aperture in order to prevent moisture loss from the tub.

2) Soft packs with hermetically sealed side edges and with a mouth in the middle of the top side of the pack from which to access the wipes. In order to prevent moisture loss from the pack, this mouth is generally sealed in one of two ways; either by way of a removable self adhesive strip or by way of an integral hard plastic lid assembly called a ‘Rigid Flip Top’ (RFT). The latter consists of a hard plastic frame fixed to the upper side of the soft pack with a lid connected to it by hinge. The frame surrounds the opening or mouth of the soft pack through which the wipes will be dispensed and is permanently fixed to the soft pack by adhesive.

Soft pack dispensing containers are becoming increasingly popular because these packs are less expensive to make than hard plastic tubs or canisters, require less raw materials to make them and are perceived to be far more environmentally friendly.

However, hard plastic tubs are also very popular. In order to access the first wipe from a hard plastic tub, the lid can be removed, and the first wipe fed through the aperture within the lid. As wipes are pulled from the tub, should the tail prematurely break thereby causing the wipes to inadvertently fall back into the tub, the lid can be removed and the edge of the fallen wipe can be subsequently fed back through the aperture, an operation similar to that of threading a needle. For this reason the width of the aperture of a tub can be relatively narrow. Because of the narrowness of the aperture, even if the sealing cap is inadvertently left open, moisture loss from the aperture will be considerably restricted.

The wipes within a soft pack dispensing container are generally in a folded, stacked format. In order to access the first wipe from within a soft pack dispensing container the wipe needs to be grasped or pinched and pulled through the mouth of the soft pack dispensing container. This operation therefore requires at least two fingers to penetrate the opening of the mouth of the soft pack dispensing container in order to pinch the end of the wipe. As wipes are pulled through the opening, they separate into individual wipes and a portion of the subsequent wipe, the tail, is supposed to present itself for the next user to.

Should the tail fail to present itself, the wipe needs to be accessed from the top of the pack, which again requires the use of at least two fingers in order to pinch the wipe and pull it though the mouth. The mouth of the soft pack dispensing container must therefore be of greater size than that of the aperture of a tub so as to accommodate the width of the two fingers required to pinch the end of the wipe.

The consequences of this being that if the sealing strip or hard plastic lid of the soft-pack is not closed properly, the wipes will dry out much more rapidly than if the sealing cap is left open as to a hard plastic tub or canister because the aperture of the latter is much narrower.

Sealing strips on soft packs of wipes very often loose their adhesive efficacy due to dust particles or moisture penetrating and degrading the adhesive that coats the seal. The sealing strip is therefore rendered useless in its task to keep the wet wipes moist. In order to solve this problem, WO2008/034539 A1 discloses a lid assembly closure devise which can be retro-fitted to a soft pack of wipes in the event that its sealing strip is no longer of any use. In effect, it turns a softpack with a sealing strip into a soft pack with an RFT. The devise features a ‘lip’ which defines a mouth through which wipes are to be withdrawn. When inserted into the soft pack, the ‘lip’ of the devise resides within the inside perimeter of the soft pack in order to keep the devise in place as wipes are withdrawn. Attached to the inner side of the lip is an annular channel with an opening of similar dimensions to the mouth, through which the wipes will pass. It also features a cap to seal the closure devise. In use, the cap is removed from the annular channel, the fingers are inserted into it order to pull first wipe from the pack. This closure devise therefore provides a solution for instances where the sealing strip looses its efficacy, but as with other soft packs of wipes featuring an RFT, WO2009/034539 does not solve the problems relating to prevention of moisture loss from the pack if the cap is left open. This is because the mouth of the annular channel has to be a relatively wide orifice from which moisture can escape so as to enable users to insert their fingers into the mouth in order to pull the first wipe from the pack.

Estimates suggest that up to 30% of wipes sold in soft pack dispensing containers are wasted due to catches or lids being left open and the wipes drying out due to moisture being lost through the wide mouth opening.

The invention seeks to provide a solution to this problem.

According to the present invention there is provided a soft pack dispensing container for wipes with an RFT, an aperture built into the lid of the RFT and a sealing cap to cover the aperture. The lid of the RFT can be opened in order to enable access to the wipes, a wipe can then be fed through the aperture, the lid can then be closed, and subsequent wipes can then be pulled though the aperture with the lid remaining in its closed position. A catch connected to the RFT prevents the lid from subsequently opening as wipes are pulled through the aperture. This will then reduce the requirement for the lid to ever be opened other than to feed a fallen wipe back through the aperture. Because the aperture is a smaller opening to that of the mouth, the opportunity for moisture to escape from the pack is therefore significantly reduced. A sealing cap to cover the aperture can then be provided to more fully seal the soft pack dispensing container. These factors should therefore result in significantly reduced wastage.

The invention therefore comprises:

1) A soft pack dispensing container for wipes which is sealed at two ends featuring:

a) a frame fixed to the dispensing container surrounding a mouth from which wipes are dispensed,

b) an openable lid for the frame featuring an aperture built into the lid through which wipes are extracted when the lid is in its closed position.

Preferably the soft pack dispensing container features an aperture built into the lid which is of a smaller size to that of the mouth of the soft pack dispensing container through which wipes can be extracted.

Preferably the soft pack dispensing container has a means by which the lid of the RFT remains in the closed position, even when a wipe is being pulled though its aperture.

Preferably the means by which the lid remains closed to counter the force of a wipe being pulled through its integral aperture is a latch, clip or other releasable locking mechanism

Preferably this latch, clip or releasable locking mechanism is attached to the frame which surrounds the mouth of the soft pack.

Preferably there is a mechanism built into the integral lid that biases the lid to the closed position.

Preferably the mechanism biasing the lid to the closed position is a spring built into the hinge of the lid.

Preferably the lid of the soft pack dispensing container for wipes has a sealing cap which can be closed around the aperture thereby sealing the soft pack dispensing container.

Preferably the wipes are formed from a continuous length of material with two parallel side edges, and lines of rupturable perforations spaced along the length of the material extending from a point on one side edge to a point on the other second side edge.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows a soft pack dispensing container for wipes with the lid of the RFT in an open position revealing the tail of a wipe exposed from the mouth of the soft pack dispensing container.

FIG. 2 shows a soft pack dispensing container for wipes with the lid of the RFT in the closed position revealing the tail of a wipe through the aperture of the lid

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a soft pack dispensing container for wipes 1 sealed at both edges 2A, 2B featuring a rigid flip top assembly 3. The soft pack dispensing container 1 has a frame 10 fixed to it which surrounds the mouth 6. The mouth 6 enables access to the wipes 7. A lid 5, is in an open position, and is connected to the frame 10 of the soft pack dispensing container 1 by hinges 4A, 4B. The lid 5 has an aperture 8. The soft pack dispensing container 1 has a latch 9 which keeps the lid 5 in its closed position as wipes 7 are extracted.

Referring to FIG. 2, there is shown a soft pack dispensing container for wipes 1 sealed at both edges 2A, 2B featuring a rigid flip top assembly 3. A lid 5 is in a closed position and is connected to the frame 10, which surrounds the mouth of the soft pack dispensing container 1, by hinges 4A, 4B. The lid 5 has an aperture 8 through which the tail of a wipe 7 is exposed. As the wipe 7 is pulled through the aperture 8, the lid 5 is held in position by latch mechanism 9. Connected to the lid 5 is a sealing cap 11 which more fully seals the soft pack dispensing container 1 when the lid 5 is in the closed position.

Further modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention. 

1. A soft pack dispensing container for wipes which is sealed at two ends, comprising: a) a frame fixed to the dispensing container surrounding a mouth from which wipes are extracted, b) an openable lid for the frame featuring an aperture built into the lid through which wipes are dispensed when the lid is in the closed position.
 2. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 1 wherein the aperture of the lid is of a smaller size to the mouth of the soft pack dispensing container.
 3. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 1 wherein there is a means by which the integral lid remains in the closed position when a wipe is being pulled though its aperture.
 4. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 3 wherein the means by which the lid remains closed to counter the force of a wipe being pulled through its integral aperture is a latch, clip or other releasable locking mechanism
 5. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 4 wherein the latch, clip or other releasable locking mechanism is attached to the frame which surrounds the mouth of the soft pack dispensing container.
 6. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 3 wherein there is a biasing means built into the integral lid that biases the lid to the closed position.
 7. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 6 wherein the biasing means is a spring built into the hinge of the lid.
 8. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 6, comprising a sealing cap which closes around the aperture thereby sealing the lid.
 9. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 6, wherein the wipes are formed from a continuous length of material with two parallel side edges, and lines of rupturable perforations spaced along the length of the material extending from a point on one side edge to a point on the other second side edge.
 10. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 6, comprising a sealing cap which closes around the aperture thereby sealing the lid.
 11. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 3, comprising a sealing cap which closes around the aperture thereby sealing the lid.
 12. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 3, wherein the wipes are formed from a continuous length of material with two parallel side edges, and lines of rupturable perforations spaced along the length of the material extending from a point on one side edge to a point on the other second side edge.
 13. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 1 wherein there is a biasing means built into the integral lid that biases the lid to the closed position.
 14. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 13 wherein the biasing means is a spring built into the hinge of the lid.
 15. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 13, comprising a sealing cap which closes around the aperture thereby sealing the lid.
 16. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 13, wherein the wipes are formed from a continuous length of material with two parallel side edges, and lines of rupturable perforations spaced along the length of the material extending from a point on one side edge to a point on the other second side edge.
 17. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 1, comprising a sealing cap which closes around the aperture thereby sealing the lid.
 18. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 17, wherein the wipes are formed from a continuous length of material with two parallel side edges, and lines of rupturable perforations spaced along the length of the material extending from a point on one side edge to a point on the other second side edge.
 19. A soft pack dispensing container according to claim 1, wherein the wipes are formed from a continuous length of material with two parallel side edges, and lines of rupturable perforations spaced along the length of the material extending from a point on one side edge to a point on the other second side edge. 